Say I Am Wonderful
by Subkulture
Summary: The team travels to a small town, searching for the lost son of the mayor. But when Gray revels a seemingly harmless secret, they watch as they whole town throws it back at him like a demon's sin. / Deals with an extreme case of homophobia


**__**Notes: This was started back in October as a 'warm-up' story for a competition. I never got to enter that competition even through I finished my entry (an original story called "Let It Burn" that has not touched the internet). Both stories deal with homophobia because, living in a small community, I do see homophobes who have probably never _met_ a homosexual before (I like to think that there is only one person like that) - and, out of all the past entries that I read, I never saw one that dealt with any mature matter. I thought it'd win me some points.

This is an extreme case as far as I'm concerned but I'm aware that there are entire countries that have gays/lesbians arrested and worse.

* * *

**_Say I Am (Wonderful)_**

"You're _what_?" Natsu exclaimed, his elbow slipping off his knee from the shock. All around him the rest of the crew sat in utter shock – save the deliverer of this astounding report.

Taking the spotlight with a series of rueful glares and stooped shoulders, was Gray. His eyes were focused solely on Natsu, his sharp, icy glare trimming down his companion one sliver at a time. It was only when his chest expanded in a sigh that he eased his eyes shut. "You heard me the first time, Natsu. There's no way in hell I'm repeating myself."

The spiky-haired mage rose to his feet with a series of jerky movements. "Yeah, b-but... What?" he stuttered, his voice cracking on the last note.

Sparing Gray's last straw, and possibly Natsu's life, Erza spoke up, "Give it up, Natsu." Her voice carried the reprimanding tone over the expanse like it was silk and caused the mage to sink back, morphing him into a boneless corpse.

Gray was spent. He pinched the bridge of his nose and dropped back into the remaining chair.

"How long have you been... gay?"

"The hell kinda question is that!" Gray barked. All that stupid flame head could ask were stupid adolescent questions, it seemed.

Before Natsu had the chance to absorb the snap Lucy jumped into action – relieving Gray from Erza's eminent wrath. "Don't be so saucy, Gray. He's only asking a question. What are you so mad about?"

He froze. She was right, he was fuming over something they saw as pretty little. His friends were open minded people and Natsu really didn't mean any harm to his question but this topic... It had caused him so much griefover the course of his life. Something that the fire mage, nor the girls or the cat, wouldn't be able to understand. Letting that fact wash over him, the ice mage stole a sigh and apologized. "Natsu," he continued, attempting to answer Natsu's question. "You don't just turn gay on a whim. If you could I would just be straight and be done with it."

"Whatever the case may be, I believe that it's high time we get some rest. We must start our search tomorrow and it wouldn't do any of us any good to be tired," Erza interjected before Gray could be faced with anymore pressing questions – from her or Lucy, after all, he shared a room with Natsu. Would the mage be uncomfortable now that Gray's sexuality was out of the closet?

Not giving Gray a chance to ponder the question, Erza shoved him and Natsu from the room, Happy chasing close behind. Had the two rooms been anything but next to each other the two mages would have gotten lost in this strange environment. Of that Gray was sure of.

As they stumbled into the hall Gray caught sight of one of the maids speeding out the corner. By the looks of it, her face was plastered with fright, the hands holding her broom were bone white, the skin pulled taut over her skeleton and the blood forced out. Then she was gone, leaving Gray doubting what he had seen. It had been a long trip here. Maybe fatigue had left the young mage more delusional than he would like to admit.

The team had escaped to the east side of Fioré in search of a young Alan Serrah. He had gone missing last week. Normally any children that had been missing for seventy-two hours were reported as dead but the father, the mayor of the village, refused to accept those terms. As such he requested the guilds across Fioré to come, stay at his house and search for the boy.

The team had arrived that night and were immediately set up with two separate rooms in the mayor's house. They had taken supper in those rooms and sent Lucy and Erza down to consult the father and staff about the incident. Alan had, from what the two girls had gathered, just got up and walked out into the woods. Never being out there before, it was easy for him become lost.

"Hunters were always going out back and Allan always begged to go with them," Lucy had reported. "The cook said that it was all he could talk about when they ate. Eventually, I guess he just decided that he was a big boy, that he could take care of himself."

Natsu slipped through the door first with Happy at his heels. Gray hesitated, an action that drew Natsu's attention like a magnet did metal. The rose headed mage turned around with a scolding, questioning look. "Coming?"

Beating his head form side to side, Gray nodded and pushed himself past the border.

- SIA -

"Madeline, what is it you're trying to say?" the mayor asked, though he already knew. Those cold truths were hard to believe, unfortunately, and he needed clarification.

Madeline, his newest employee, edged away. He knew how empowered he looked in his pressed tux and his head in his hand, a cigarette dangling from his mouth with a trail of smoke coiling up from the tip. A full head of peppery hair sat atop his head, angled, slitted eyes peered through the speckled bangs to make the maid squirm.

"T-the mage," she started, "The dark haired boy, he's a sinner."

The mayor just nodded. First she had spit it all out in one muddled breath, so that the words had jumbled together in a grotesque mess that had made the mayor wince. Now, with that simple sentence, he could easily, and hastily, piece together her complaint. A man who loves other men was not welcome in his town. It was a sin that was as thick as a demon's skin, and twice as sinister. Now, did he want such a man looking for his son?

Regrettably he had already hired their services, given them lodging for the time being. And Allan _had _to be found soon. He could not survive much longer. With a sigh, the man pressed his cheek further into his palm; "Perhaps..."

"Sir?"

Icy, blue eyes snapped to the maid – Madeline jumped and pulled her arms in tighter to her chest. An idea dawned on him. "I want you to run an errand for me, Madeline." He already knew she couldn't refuse. "Go into town and spread this knews as soon as morning comes." She nodded, turned tail, and all but ran out the door.

"I'm a man of my word," he continued, as if the walls had ears, "but perhaps we can run him alone from town before night falls..."

- SIA -

Gray squirmed. Natsu's hard eyes had never left him all night.

They had changed in the same room. Argued in the same room. And now lay in the same room. All the while Natsu had starred Gray down like livestock, making sleep all but a distant dream. The number one worry was that if Erza found them tired she would most likely castrate the two of them on the spot. The number two was still troublesome and almost rivalled the first; what was Natsu thinking? Was he more disturbed by Gray's secret than he let on? Or was it more? - though that was something Gray doubted very much.

Two crept around at a leisurely pace. Gray soon found that Natsu had drifted off into a pleasant, listless sleep.

The ice mage needed to talk to him but was unable to fathom the awkward conversation that would bring about. Somehow he didn't think "Hello, are you freaked out over my gayness? Are you scared that I want to sleep with you?" would go over so well. Besides that, Gray wasn't too fussy over the second thought. Not really... The fire wielder was handsome even though his pink hair was a little outlandish, he had a good body that he paraded around rakishly, too, and was never afraid to stand up for what he believed in, a trait that Gray looking for in... romance possibilities religiously. But that did not chance the fact that it was still _Natsu_. A flame headed brat if he'd ever seen one.

Rolling his eyes, he shifted. Best to let sleeping dogs lie, he allowed, and this mutt was likely to bite if disturbed anyway.

- SIA -

The two of them, Gray and Lucy, trailed through town at a steady pace. Natsu, Happy and Erza, had disappeared into the woods to try and scout for the boy while Lucy had requested to remain in the town and see what she could dig up. Erza had formed the teams around that decision, handing Gray over to the blonde while she stole Natsu and the cat. Had the ice mage gotten his way he would have made Natsu go with Lucy while he went with Erza. Erza didn't ask so many questions.

"Why haven't you told Juvia yet?"

The exhibitionist glanced at her curiously. Erza may not ask as much as Lucy but he was beginning to get used to the barrage – that scared him more than any of the knight's threats. "Why would I do that?" he asked.

The blonde scowled. "Because she's in _love_ with you!"

"Eh!"

Lucy all but roared into the sky. Letting the matter drop for, what Gray assumed was, her sake. "Forget it, keep her in the dark," she snapped darkly, using it as the closing sentence. "Where do you want to start?" The young man just shrugged. "Fine, we'll go with the first house."

They walked in silence after that, knocking on door after door after door but getting either nothing or a string of curses. Lucy's perkiness was slowly withering and, for her own good, Gray opted to taking over the attack on the villager's homes.

Unfortunately, the first home he went to he received a much less friendly welcome.

A elderly woman appeared in the door with her back all but folded in two and a shawl tugged taut around her shoulders. Thick cowls dragged her mouth down into a permanent frown. "The fuck do you want, dirt fag?"

Gray's eyes darkened, quickly. Before his temper could snap, before he could freeze her dead, he spun on his heels and worked his way down the stairs. At his back he could hear vulgar shouts of "flammer" "pillow muncher" and "shit shoveller". They didn't just come from the old woman neither, once she had started the entire street seemed to buck up and join in, hollering like a pack up vulcans. Rage throbbed through Gray's veins, pulsating with each slander sung, with each step he took in the opposite direction. It was a cowardly move. Running away... revolting. But Lucy was, gratefully, out of earshot. She didn't need to hear the abuse he had to face.

When he arrived at her side he was able to note the horrified look on her face before speeding past. There was no time for talk. They had to get out of there now, least the crowd decided the pest was better off burned.

He wanted to throw up.

Buildings, trees, people – laughing, snarling, snapping people – all morphed into a hazy blur. And the people did rage. Rocks even flew as the villagers took out their unreasonable rage on him. Lucy was close all the while, fuming. Gray caught the rocks before they hit her but that didn't stop the young celestial mage from firing them right back, a string of comments of her own tailing the projectile. She hit quite a few people too, impacts that sent them skittering back to the muck that they came from with their tails between their legs. The ice mage appreciated his friend's company more than she knew. But he would have rather that she did not find out at all.

Her knitted brow was a distraction on its own. He waited for pestering questions and talk about feelings, but it never came. Once again he found himself longing for Erza to be by his side. And he was happy for Natsu's absence; a gay walking next to a guy never pleased homophobic crowds. Besides that, the entire village would have gone up in smoke were it faced with Natsu's sizzling temper.

The manor loomed up before them and sang of protection from the jeers of the people. Though the comfort it provided Gray was dismal. This was were it started. Had he never said anything last night then no one would have heard – for it had to have been an eavesdropper, how else would they have learned his secret? - his admit he was gay in the first place. The village would still be warmly welcoming them and aiding them in their search for the boy.

As it stood, it was not only Gray suffering. It was Allan too.

The two mages slipped inside unnoticed beneath a cloak of silence – something else to add to the long list of things Gray was appreciating. The halls were all abandoned, the ice mage knew it was because of him. Yesterday when they had arrived the house was bustling with workers. Woman dashed back and forth sweeping floors, washing walls, making beds, preparing dinner, and they made it hard to manoeuvre the place without the mayor with them or without climbing in through the window.

Once they arrived at their, Natsu and Gray's, room Lucy froze.

"Gray," she rasped sadly, "What's happening?"

She was blocking the door effectively, leaving Gray in the hall, attempting to see past her. By the shiver that rippled down her spine the sight was horrendous – the room was trashed. It had to be.

The mage pushed past his companion and fell into the room, dust and ash kicked up around him, coughs consequently wracking his body. An anger haze of black engulfed him, turning his skin black. Light filtered through this in vain. The rays of light turned a sickly yellow-grey through the clouds.

More importantly, their stuff was gone.

Not gone. That was a lie. Their stuff was floating through the air, taunting and lethargic while the two mages stared at the ruin in horror. Gray sifted through the ruin slowly. He... he...

"_Fuck!_"

- SIA -

Natsu's hand burst through the wall in a flurry of plaster and fibreglass. "What is going on? How dare they -" He choked on his words; the soot was foul and far too thick with hate for even a dragon slayer to inhale.

Gray shook his head. He didn't need this. As much as he wanted to beat every _bastards_ face in in this god forsaken town he just couldn't. The guild didn't need that, they had a bad enough reputation without. "Let it go, Natsu." That head snapped to him, shock, fear, rage all settled in a distorted mess on his features. The dragon slayer looked about ready to murder someone. A lot of someones. "Alan doesn't need us to burn his village down. _He's_ an innocent."

The other collapsed into a boneless heap in a corner, eyeing Gray through limp bangs. "So-"

"We find the boy," the ice mage cut in. "Bring him back to his father, take whatever he'll give us for Lucy, and get out."

Silence.

"I know where to start."

- SIA -

Today Gray prowled the streets alone. He had sent Lucy in the woods with Natsu and Erza to search for the boy. With Lucy by their side they would have better luck finding him, and Natsu had a lead on where he could be. Neither him nor Erza found anything when they searched the last day but after some reflection – what caused that reflection Gray would never know. It wasn't something he did often, right? - Natsu remembered a scent. It was faded and could be a day old but definitely human, he had reported to Gray just before the girls got back. Reiterating Natsu's words distracted the two females from Gray's problems. For that Gray was happy to let Natsu feast on the snacks provided.

The ice mage strongly hoped that they would bring Alan back. He wanted to go home.

A shiver ricocheted through him, he pulled in his arms and glanced around semi-nervously. Before seeing them, hearing their unsanitary rasps, he sensed the thugs' blood lust. He sensed it and magic sang in his veins.

The leader was grinning when Gray turned around, his teeth were a grisly white underneath nigh transparent lips. "So the faggot comes out to play, hm?"

Gray's temper flared, and with it his too-long-dormant magic. He plugged it quickly. These fools may be fools, but they hardly deserved to be slaughtered for their thinking. Using magic would hardly be fair; he could hear the shit he would receive from either Erza or the old man. Hurting innocents was hardly in their code, but every second the group stood, circled, was a second closer he was to beating their faces in. With or without magical aid.

"Don't press your luck," the mage warned with a shrug. He started to work his way past the gang only to find a bar-straight arm in his way. Black eyes stared down that arm, noting to the thickly corded muscle and sun burnt skin. Labourers suddenly seemed more threatening and as he looked around he noticed that everyone in the street was of that same bred.

A broader man thrice the size of Gray came up behind, stopping too close for comfort. "Boys ought to stay away from a big man's playground," he sneered.

He snarled his response and swallowed the rest before tossing all his weight to the left. The empty space filled quickly. Gray attempted to stumble to his feet, only to have the action cut short by a foot to the face. Bones cracked and blood flowed as he hit the spot where he'd stood a second before.

Another blow crashed down on him. This time a rib fractured. A toe followed soon: fingers, muscle, skin. They all fell victim to the beating. All the while Gray stayed deftly silent save for the occasional, rage filled, growl.

Where was the opening that came in books? That chance for the hero to leap to his feet and kick all the bad guys asses from there to next year? Broken and bleeding, he was forced to wait out the assault while the men beat him to a pulp. Three times his side, skin thick as steal, magic stolen by pride – these factors rolled in front of him, laughing like demons while he lay helplessly on the spoiled earth.

And when the beating stopped he felt only pain. No adrenaline rushed through him today. Had he been given the chance to fight, had he-

"_Fuck this shit._" His eyes snapped open. The irises stared darkly at the clouds that rolled by at a taunting pace. His sight was rimmed with the beaters and his blood. Hardly ideal, Gray decided as he dragged himself up. The men laughed at his slow pace but that was alright. They cooed down to him too, but that was alright.

"Poor baby misses his mommy?" one sang.

"Not unless she got a dick!" another cackled back.

"The little fucker probably'd do his dad if he could." yet another snarled. This one spat at Gray, the wet glob landing on his cheek, forcing him to pause and wipe it away.

"Ass kissing _bastard!_" a forth snapped, lashing out at Gray. The ice mage stumbled back but didn't fall. Nor did he right himself from his slumped position; like that, with glossy, raven hair to shield his face, he could sneer all he wanted and not get another kick or slap or punch.

He spit. A wad of blood landed in the grass just off the road. Then the laughter stopped.

"Do you know why your mayor hired Fairy Tail to find his son?" Gray whispered. There was only silence and the sound of a slow shuffle as the thugs took position once more. They had heard him, he knew it. They'd heard him plain as day.

When that silence grew uncomfortable he continued, "We're the best. Better than the police and better than the council." The cockiness swelled inside. He rolled his shoulders and flexed whole muscles and shifted his hands and feet, still his head hung low. "And we're a guild. We're all mages at Fairy Tail."

The magic surged forth when his palms touched. Before him the ground flashed and froze as grown men scurried like rats away from his power. It felt good to watch the run even though his leg was partly shattered and he felt blood oozing into the hem of his pants. With a little extra effort the magic doubled in speed and snagged the bottom of a man's shoe. He fell down screaming, ice slowly washed over him, sealing him in his own personal tomb. Once Gray was gone the ice would vanish but the mage took great satisfaction in the yellow stain that formed beneath the cover.

The others were not half as easy to catch. Ice rose in tentacles, launching after the men but they either rolled, dodged, or beat it away. One by satisfying one, they slipped under, cryo-frozen until the ice mage's control faltered and the sheet evaporated.

Then his shoulder snapped forward and plain flared. A thug had slipped around him. The shoulder left it's joint, a cry of agony broke, ragged, feral. The attackers full weight crashed down on him, the wind left him in a rush.

Together they rolled on the ice while the eyes of the gang preyed on them. They could have travelled miles for all Gray could tell. The ice soon turned to gravel that ripped at his skin, leaving the flesh covered in seeping lacerations. It did the same to their opponent, their blood mixed together on Gray's skin until a sickly, mahogany sludge had formed.

Finally the man's weight won out. Gray lay splayed beneath him, pinned down by his attacker. The mage's stomach did a flip beneath his gaze. Slaughterous didn't cover the look on the man's face. It was dark in shadow and devoid of compassion in any form.

"Now," he whispered, his voiced had turned gravelly in the throes of lust, "you pay for sins."

Gray felt the hit before he saw the man move. He jerked beneath the grip, all but hearing his bones creak; he spit blood into the man's face with the resulting momentum. Now his stomach ached with a knew vigour.

The mage jerked again as the man touched him. This time it was not caused by any pain. Gray looked down to see the other's knee pressed almost tantalizingly against his groin. The jerk had been from pleasure, the mind didn't know when something should or should not feel good and only seemed to register the fact that the knee was warm and human. Gray squirmed, growling as the man pressed harder. The pleasure would quickly morph into pain if this continued.

"Feel good? Dirty cock sucker!" He thrust his knee ahead, bringing a whine to Gray's lips. The mage's teeth worked those lips until blood drew. Never did he stop thrashing around the fleshy bonds that held him.

"Let..." Gray barked under the crush. "Let me go!" He yanked hard and the man's grip gave, only to retake his wrist on the opposite side of his head. Still, his hands were too far apart. The man knew his trick – even said as much.

The man's hands were large, Gray noted. He lifted one but the mage didn't, for a second, believe that he was free. His attacker moved with an uncanny swiftness as he trapped both arms under the left hand before the feel of the right disappeared. "Maybe you'll enjoy this," he cooed, "I hope you do. For a while. Then I hope you scream."

The right hand was quickly put to work by hauling Gray's pants south. His pupils grew small in shock. His face flushed and grew cold.

In the distance a dog howled. It was strange, the things you noticed when bad things were happening. But the barking grew louder and even the man who preyed upon him noticed; his movements, however, never faltered. When the thug's fingers pressed into him, Gray bit straight through his lip. When the thug's knuckles and wrist followed Gray screamed high and true.

Nail's wracked his insides, blood flowed, and Gray's scream continued. The brute heard and keened, though barely heard it. He barely heard anything through the wall of white, painful noise

The flesh miraculously held. One eye was pressed closed, tears budding at the corners, and the other glared ahead, unseeing and overcome by the same white pain. He could feel the man's hand moving inside him slowly, and, horrendously, he felt the pain subside.

He must have sensed this, pulling out of the mage and glancing hungrily at the half-hard member. "You're going to hate me now," he promised, like Gray didn't hate him now.

That was when the mage saw his salvation. Even as the man snatched up his balls in his bloodied, feces stained grip, Gray smiled because he saw something the other did not. The barking dog had grown close enough for the mage to see. He saw the matted fur and heard the hungry snapping, almost wishing that he would catch sight of its frothing mouth. That dream ended when it crashed into the thug's arm in a foam-less bite.

The man gave a satisfying scream and jumped from Gray's form. The young ice mage didn't regret his actions, or the dog's actions as he watched him run. And then the full weight of the events hit him. Pants down, blood seeping, bones shattered, Gray coiled in on himself and shook the feeling away.

Long minutes turned into a long hour; once again the voices of Erza and Makarov throbbed through his head. The mage just nudged them away, figuring that with this many wounds he would get more praise then punishment.

"Shit," he rasped as his brain settled and he could truly take in what had went through his head. "When did I turn so dramatic? ...Never mind."

The young mage all but crawled back to the mansion. All the while, sickness from the beating inflated within him.

- SIA -

Natsu trudged over wood and stone alike. For the mage this was an easy trek that barely spanned a mile before the woods broke. Erza had taken Lucy back to check on Gray, ordering the fire mage to continue on without them. He had really wanted to see Gray too. As strange as it sounded, he was worried about him to that point that it was palpable.

The weight on his back shifted. Natsu smiled softly to the movement. The job was done and the boy was found, albeit in dire need of a bath, food and rest. But there were no wounds worse than scratches from the wood and scraps from falling. The dragon slayer had a feeling that the kid wouldn't be waking up for a while though. Even against his back, Alan felt like a chunk of led. Long nights wandering the worst would do that to someone, especially when they're so young.

During the trip home Natsu got to thinking. He tried to think of food or Happy or the money or the celebration or going home or _anything, _yet somehow the ice mage continuously slipped in. Since Gray's revelation the lines separating the love-hate relationship they had seemed to be dissolving before his eyes.

He'd never known Gray was gay! That was... what was the word he was looking for? Fascinating. But the mage had a strong feeling that Gray didn't feel the same. In fact, the exhibitionist just about seemed to hate it. Natsu didn't see a thing wrong with it though. It was just a way of being, right? Like how frogs are green and birds fly south.

The town never saw it like that either. Gray suffered because of it. All their belongings burned because of it. Now Gray had been left back in that vile place without him there to beat the crap out of anyone who-

Who looked at him wrong? Was that right?

It felt right, but somehow it didn't seem to fit the situation like it should. Putting it like that made him sound like the jealous boyfriend.

Natsu flushed blood red as a realization washed over him. Shaking his head, laughing all the while, he hoisted the boy into a more comfortable position before doubling his pace. He needed to talk to Lucy.

- SIA -

"Gray! What _happened!_" Lucy squaked as she and Erza burst into the room. The mage in question just shrugged. They must have followed the blood, 'cause they shouldn't be back by now, they shouldn't be in the house yet; after all, Gray should be patrolling the streets.

He had cleaned himself off since arriving at the mansion. The eldest maid had insisted upon in, even when the other ran away in fright or disdain. She didn't seem to be affected by the mage's sexuality like the rest of the village. She never called him a demon or a faggot. The woman had helped fill the tub and clean Gray's wounds to the best extent, admitting while she did it that she was no doctor and new nothing of resetting bones.

Under those conditions he had done most of the work himself, mending his nose and righting his leg the best he could. The nose turned out fine. He would forever have a break in it now unless Porlyusica or Wendy made it right when they got back, and the former would have to look at his leg. He had long since given up on resetting the shattered bone. Luckily, that was all "most of the work" had entitled, the maid had been content enough to cleanse and gauze all his cuts and had managed to put his shoulder back into its socket under his instruction. All the while was cursing on the "jeezes people in her village" who "if they had half the braincells of a pea they'd be dangerous". He looked much better then he did walking into the building.

Erza pushed past Lucy and crouched next to where he lay on the sofa. Her hawk-like eyes examined every bandage and every bruise. Determining that it was all in order she turned her attention to the leg.

"Gray, answer me." Lucy had come closer too, now standing with her arms crossed and her foot beat a steady beat against the floor. "What happened to you today?"

"Nothing big," he replied shortly. The blonde would not accept a shrug again – and he was afraid that had he shrugged Erza, who had her hand rested on his leg as she tested the wholeness, would squeeze. "The antagonists got me."

"The-" she started, but stopped as an epiphany dawned. "The villagers!" Gray nodded. Danger flashed in her eyes. "I'm going to have a talk with the mayor," she growled.

"Wait." Lucy froze half way to the door. "I'm coming too." The ice mage agreed with the idea, even the master had enough sense to be scared of Erza. Surely this magic-less man would have the same fear once she spoke. "You will be okay here by yourself, Gray?" Again, he nodded.

Before either girl left the room, or even had the chance to take a step, the door slammed open, beating of the wall and driving the handle into the wood. A pink blur rushed inside not a second later, almost flying over the arm of the sofa and crashing into the injured man. Twice in two days, Gray felt the pain of being under the spotlight. Only this time the pain of his wounds all but blocked it out.

"Gray! What happened!" he shouted. The flame head stopped inches away from Gray's face, his arms caging the mage as they held his friend.

The injured man snarled and gave Natsu a harsh shove, to no avail it seemed as he only succeeded in pushing himself back into the sofa. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Frowning, the dragon slayer sat back, probably realizing that he wouldn't be getting a straight answer any time soon – in all likelihood, not until they'd left the village.

Lucy smiled warmly at them. "I'm off to check on Alan then," she said with a wave. A second later she was gone. Erza had disappeared sometime between Natsu's arrival and his sitting down.

"You found the boy?" Gray asked once the blonde had shut the door.

Natsu nodded. "But I... didn't tell her. How did she-" Gray shook his head slowly, a warning to stop. Girls were scary creatures; nature's psychics.

Whatever silence that followed Natsu's question was short lived.

"Tell me what happened," he ordered softly.

Gray frowned. Natsu was acting weird. He clung to the side of the sofa like a dotting lover – or puppy. He never acted this amiable, unless Erza was in the vicinity.

Not letting it get to him, Gray opted to embrace Natsu's tenderness. He wasn't sure if he could take any sort of roughhousing at the moment; his rear still throbbed uncomfortably and thoughts of what happened still sent those eerie cold shivers up his spine.

Giving a preparatory sigh, Gray looked away from Natsu and chose his next words wisely. "Several farmers cornered me on the road coming back. I didn't want to get into an unfair fight so I tried not to use my magic. They... turned out to be stronger than me." Gray knew Natsu knew he left something out, his bent brow said as much. The fire mage was content enough with Gray's response to let it slide. For now.

"They beat you up cause you're..."

"Gay. Yes," Gray finished. Natsu looked hurt when he did and he frowned. "What's wrong with you? You've been acting strange since you got back. Alan smacked you upside the head when you found him?"

Gray expected a punch and when none came he quickly remembered his current state, obviously Natsu had more common sense than to hit a partner when he was down. Instead the flame head just scowled. "Can't I be worried when my friends come back like-" He made a gesture toward Gray, finishing his sentence as well as the discussion.

The resulting silence was heavy. Natsu shifted his position until his rosy hair tickled Gray's stomach and his fingers that lay their. The ice mage found himself playing with the strands to pass the time, forever grateful that the dragon slayer never said a thing about him. He just continued to sit with eyes closed. Now and then his brow would furrow in thought. These facial changes amused Gray and helped him pass the long hour that passed in strained silence.

As it progressed that silence got easier and easier. Gray even found himself dosing for brief minutes and every time he caught himself it was harder and harder to pull himself away. And every time was longer then the last.

"Gray?" Natsu said. His voice seemed to echo in Gray's semi-awake state. "Have you ever had a boyfriend before?"

"Fuck!" The mage all but choked on the shock. When he responded he was more awake then he had ever been. "What kinda question is that?"

"Jus' wonderin'," he slurred.

"Little invasive." Natsu just shrugged.

What the hell. "No, I haven't." Gray answered finally. "I don't go telling people to get one. It helps me avoid worst case scenarios." _Helped,_ he noted silently. The worst case scenario had already arrived.

"Not everyone would hate you for it." He knew what Gray was thinking, it creeped the ice mage out. "I don't."

"I can tell you nosey freak."

By now Natsu was kneeling in on his knees starring full on at Gray. He had a strange smile on his face that looked out of place directed at him. It looked out of place on anything but a wild cat. Utterly feral. "Just researching," he shrugged.

"That's bullshit," Gray scowled. He pushed hard to get himself into a more comfortable talking position. Rest had turned his beaten body to slop, making movement all but a distant dream. "You just want to poke around. You've been hanging around Lucy too much."

Then he felt lips on his. They were warm and friendly and _nothing_ like that thug's violent assault. But shock blasted away all that and he pulled away with a jerk, a violent blush spreading across his cheeks. Seconds, _seconds,_ later Gray pushed Natsu away, half to breath half for dignity. "The hell?" was all he could say.

Natsu grinned.

- SIA -

Natsu froze at the door. He was happy that he'd fulfilled what he'd wanted to do. Though he knew that as soon as Gray was healed the two of them would go back to their amiable fighting, he was happy. He liked the fighting and knew it helped them get stronger but those seconds that had passed against Gray's lips gave him hope for softer times, as well as _other_ actions.

Looking around he say two other members of the team. Gray, limping on a crutch that a maid – a kindly old lady that had the eyes of Porlyusica, and thus scared Natsu – had gotten him, and Lucy. Erza, he knew, was up in the mayor's office retrieving their payment. None of the team figured that he would willingly give up the payment after the way he had Gray treated, or he had allowed Gray to be treated as neither of them knew what part he'd played. So they had sent the one person who could definitely make him break.

However, Happy was missing.

Natsu looked around. Called to the cat. Yet he got no return call.

"Where did he run off to?" Lucy asked. She glanced around too, as did Gray and the elderly maid in the corner, even while the others ignored them.

Beckoned by the blonde the little blue cat spun around the corner. He didn't look so blue. Black soot covered all but his feet, wings, and circles around his eyes. Natsu laughed as the cat landed before him, there was a sloppy grin of success planted on his face.

"What did..." Gray started, but he never got to finish as a chorus of screams echoed through the house. He smiled knowingly and the three of them made for the door.

As they exited the last thing they heard was a tiny whimper from upstairs and the sound of Erza's boots hitting the steps.

* * *

A/N: I expected this to be five, maybe six pages. It grew to be ten and I have to say I'm pleased with it, even though it murdered my wrists. XD

Most of what I have - or had - to say I got out in the beginning. But I would really like to hear your thoughts on this. If you managed to get to the end, of course. ;)

_R&R?_ :D  
And show some love to the amazing MiyuTanemura who went through hell and back beta'ing this story._ (THERE WERE WAY TO MANY MISTAKES - EVEN FOR ME!) _


End file.
